Chapter 26: Will You Marry Him?
Lu Ye was completely dumbfounded... All I wanted was a fight, so why won’t any of you give me that chance?
Click. Click. Click.
Chen Xi’s high heels tapped rhythmically against the floor as she strode gracefully to the front of their group.
Seeing that Lu Ye’s side sent a woman to fight, Su Zijun sneered, “You got a woman to stand up for you? Coward!”
Whoosh!
Before the words had fully left his lips, a flash of silver streaked by, and a piece of flesh inexplicably fell from Su Zijun’s cheek…
The strike was so swift that even Su Zijun’s nerves lagged behind; the pain arrived a beat later.
“Aaaargh!”
“You wretch, you ambushed me!”
Swish!
The silver flash returned, whisking another bloody piece from the other side of Su Zijun’s face, before landing with precision in Chen Xi’s palm.
It was only now that the others saw what it was: an exquisitely crafted throwing blade, shaped like a swallow in flight. Not even the tiniest trace of blood marred its gleaming edge.
Chen Xi’s eyes were devoid of emotion, her voice cold as ice: “Speak ill of my little brother again, and I’ll leave only your mouth on that face—everything else, I’ll cut away!”
Su Zijun’s face, now a mask of bloody ruin, looked even more hideous and terrifying.
Gritting his teeth through the agony, he roared, “Elder Bai Jin, what are you waiting for?”
Yet he failed to notice Bai Jin trembling from head to toe, muttering under his breath, “The swallow that once soared before kings and nobles now flies into the homes of common folk…”
“Could it be… you are Tang Qianyan, number one on the assassin’s ranking?”
Chen Xi gave a chilly laugh. “Tang Qianyan? That little girl’s name, I gave her. When she sees me, she still has to kneel and call me ‘Master.’”
Hiss!
A cold sweat broke out down Bai Jin’s back, and he stood rooted in terror.
The assassin he once idolized as his faith—was merely the disciple of this breathtaking woman before him?
With nothing but bored indifference, Chen Xi toyed with the swallow blade between her fingers, its edge spinning nimbly around her dexterous hands.
“Old man, are you fighting or not? My time is precious!”
Bai Jin took a deep breath, steadied himself, and spat out a single word as if facing death: “Fight!”
Chen Xi nodded. Suddenly she thrust both hands forward; with the one previously used, there were now five swallow blades in total, gleaming silver as they shot toward Bai Jin.
Bai Jin was secretly alarmed. Rumor had it that even the top assassin, Tang Qianyan, could only control three swallows at once; her master could wield five simultaneously?
Each swallow blade arced with deadly precision, but Bai Jin’s evasive footwork was masterful—twisting left, dodging right, he barely evaded the first wave.
But before he could catch his breath, Chen Xi let out a soft snort: “Swallow’s Return.”
From five directions, the blades returned, swooping back in for the kill!
Thud, thud, thud!
In the blink of an eye, Bai Jin was struck three times; his traditional silk tunic split open in bloody gashes, staining most of it red.
“I can’t just sit here and die,” he thought.
“This woman only attacks at range—if it comes to close combat, she may not be my match.”
Taking advantage of the split-second opening as Chen Xi retrieved her blades, Bai Jin stomped hard and lunged at her, right fist cocked for a powerful punch.
Watching from the sidelines, Meng the Belle and Su Qianqian both widened their eyes in alarm: “Will she be in danger?”
Only Lu Ye grinned broadly, “Relax. Anyone who tries close combat with my sister is a fool with rocks in his head!”
Chen Xi flicked her delicate hand, sending the returning swallow blades spinning away, then clenched her fist and met Bai Jin’s punch head-on.
Bang!
The two fists crashed together; the match should have been even. But in a flash, Chen Xi shifted her grip, seizing Bai Jin’s fist and wrenching it forward with brutal force.
Crack!
A crisp snap of breaking bone. Before Bai Jin could even cry out in pain, the five swallow blades she’d swept aside earlier returned, all five piercing through his back.
From start to finish, Chen Xi had never moved a step from her spot. She glanced down at the collapsed Bai Jin and remarked, “You’re too weak. This isn’t fun at all.”
Su Zijun, devastated, dropped to his knees—even Bai Jin was dispatched in seconds?
If only he’d sent both Sangchai and Bai Jin in together at the start, instead of putting on airs with this ridiculous turn-by-turn nonsense…
Now it was over. How would he explain this to Hongying Society?
“Useless wretch! All you do is ruin things!” A cold snort sounded behind him. Trembling, Su Zijun turned to see Liu Yiyi finally arriving with the main force of Hongying Society.
“Miss Liu, forgive me!”
Facing his mutilated face, Liu Yiyi barely suppressed her nausea and said with disgust, “Get Bai Jin off the ground.”
“Yes!”
But of all those present, the most stunned by Liu Yiyi’s arrival was Su Qianqian.
“Liu Yiyi, these people—did you send them to kill my father?”
A flicker of guilt crossed Liu Yiyi’s face, quickly replaced by cold resolve. “Yes. Your father and Lin Zhongze had the audacity to block Hongying Society’s business. Their only ending is death!”
“Lu Ye, I bet you never guessed the Zhang family’s real backer was me. I suggest you surrender and hand over your father-in-law and your boss.”
Lu Ye smirked mischievously, “If you go back to Yiren Group and scrub every toilet, maybe I’ll think about it.”
From that day on, the word “toilet” became Liu Yiyi’s forbidden curse, a shadow she’d never escape for the rest of her life…
Grinding her teeth, Liu Yiyi spat, “You’re looking for death!”
Lu Ye shrugged, grinning, “Sure, but you can’t beat me anyway. What can you do about it?”
“No, I can’t beat you—but I can deal with your dear old father easily enough!”
Lu Ye’s smile froze. “You have Old Lu?”
“That’s right.”
No wonder! Lu Ye had called Lu Yuqing dozens of times today, all unanswered—he’d assumed his father blocked him for being a nag.
The commotion outside was drawing a crowd; many guests who had come for the wedding were gathering to watch, including Su Shiming and Lin Zhongze.
Liu Yiyi pointed at Su Shiming and Lin Zhongze from a distance and said to Lu Ye, “Hand them over, and I guarantee your father will return home unharmed.”
Hearing Liu Yiyi’s threat, Su Qianqian’s heart skipped a beat.
Oh no!
Our marriage is just for show; there’s not a shred of love between us. Will he hand over my father to save his own?
Su Shiming and Lin Zhongze were equally uneasy.
It wasn’t that they doubted Lu Ye’s character, but who could say what he would choose when his father became a bargaining chip?
But to everyone’s surprise, Lu Ye turned the tables on Liu Yiyi.
“Do you think your chairman would be willing to trade my father for you?”
Liu Yiyi was taken aback. “What do you mean?”
Lu Ye answered her with action.
Whoosh!
Even with all those bodyguards, Liu Yiyi was snatched up by Lu Ye in a flash—he locked her by the throat, as easily as taking something from his own pocket.
No one expected such decisiveness; in one move, he’d seized their greatest weakness.
“Bastard, let me go!”
“Do you take me for a fool? You’re coming with me!”
With Liu Yiyi in his grip, the others dared not move.
Lu Ye swaggered back to his side, dragging her along, and shouted at the Hongying Society people, “Go tell your boss—trading my old man for Liu Yiyi is possible, but trading Su Shiming and Lin Zhongze is out of the question!”
Liu Yiyi protested, “Taking me is pointless. My position in Hongying Society is insignificant.”
“If you’re so insignificant, why did they kidnap your parents?” Lu Ye replied meaningfully.
Liu Yiyi’s face changed. “You bugged me?”
“Lu Ye, who are you really?”
Lu Ye laughed, “Just a lost little security guard at Yiren Group, with a pair of red sticks at my door.”
Liu Yiyi gritted her teeth and whispered, “Lu Ye, I’m not joking with you!”
“If you’re an agent sent to investigate Hongying Society, I’ll surrender and tell you everything I know—just save my parents!”
Lu Ye glanced at Chen Xi, who gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head.
With so many eyes around, and Liu Yiyi’s background still unclear, now was not the time to reveal anything.
So Lu Ye burst out laughing, “Liu Yiyi, you’ve watched too many spy movies!”
“What kind of agent would stoop so low as to become a live-in son-in-law? Are you stupid?” At that, Liu Yiyi reconsidered and realized he was just an unpredictable fool.
With Chen Xi’s gaze fixed on her, Liu Yiyi dared not make another move, and the Hongying Society people lost their nerve.
The wedding of Lu Ye and Su Qianqian proceeded as planned, barely affected by the chaos.
“Ms. Su Qianqian, do you take Mr. Lu Ye as your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer…”